Josephine Baker was a dancer, singer, and civil rights activist. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Eddie Carson, a musician, and Carrie Macdonald. Her parents parted when Josephine was still an infant, and her mother married Arthur Martin, which has led to some confusion about her maiden name. Very llittle is known about her childhood, except that she was a witness to the East St. Louis riot in 1917. This event was often a feature of her talks in the 1950s and 1960s about racism and the fight for equality., which fostered the oft-repeated assertion that the family was resident in East St. Louis. Before the age of eighteen Josephine had been married twice, first to Willie Well and then to William Baker, to whom she was married in Camden, New Jersey, in September 1921. Josephine Baker - American National Biography Online http://www.anb.org (Retrieved August 17, 2009)

The collection consists of photographs of Josephine Baker, including images of her performing roles as well as other activities. Most were taken during her time in Europe. Also included is a photograph of the Orchestra of Josephine Baker.